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Venezuelan Reporters Detained in Honduras
By Jim Wyss
Miami Herald
July 12, 2009
Venezuelan reporters -- seen as generating favorable coverage of Honduras' ousted president Manuel Zelaya -- were detained by police overnight as the new administration tries to restore order in the wake of the two-week political crisis.
Six journalists from Telesur and Venezolana de Televisión were stopped in the parking lot of their hotel Saturday night and taken to a police station in downtown Tegucigalpa, said Telesur reporter Madelein García, who had been with the group.
All were released at about 2 a.m. but warned not to leave the hotel, she said. Their Honduran driver remains detained on charges of auto theft.
Sunday night the police said the group had been stopped in the parking lot for breaking curfew and that the car had been reported stolen by the rental agency.
The current government's minister of information, Rene Zepeda, told The Associated Press he had no information about the alleged detentions. He denied authorities are trying to censor the press, saying ''what we want is peace'' in Honduras.
In the past, government officials have accused Telesur, which is financed by the government of Venezuela, of producing biased coverage that incited violence. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been one of Zelaya's biggest supporters.
This is the second time that journalists from Telesur have been detained since the crisis began.
García said that most of the company's foreign staff will be leaving the country Sunday, but local reporters would continue working.
Early in the crisis, the government shut down pro-Zelaya stations. While coverage has since resumed, many broadcasters, including CNN en español, have their signals interrupted when the topic turns to Honduras.
Thanks in part to Zelaya's close ties with Chavez, Telesur has had unprecedented access to the ousted leader. That has won the station the gratitude of his followers.
On Saturday, as several hundred Zelaya supporters marched to the airport, the crowd gave Telesur an ovation as it drove by.
''They are one of the few channels that are telling our side of the story,'' said Nicanor Orellana, 46, who was participating in the event. ``All the other stations are in the government's pocket.''
Honduras' troubles began two weeks ago when the army detained Zelaya on orders from the supreme court and sent him into exile. Ever since, Zelaya and Micheletti have both claimed to be the legitimate leaders of this nation of 7.8 million.
Mediation talks to break the impasse began last week in Costa Rica but, thus far have produced few results.
In the meantime, supporters on both sides continued to organize largely peaceful demonstrations over the weekend. On Sunday, in a sign that authorities may believe the worst of the crisis is over, the government lifted the curfew, which had been in effect since the troubles began.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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tel: (202) 347-8081
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